KENTUCKY (1/3/14) - Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Crews are gearing up to pre-treat area highways in advance of an approaching winter weather system that is expected to hit the region starting early Sunday morning.

As temperatures warm up above about 20 degrees today and Saturday, trucks will be out on the road spraying brine. The brine dries to a fine powder where it remains on the road surface to be activated by falling precipitation. This helps improve safety in the early hours of a snow/ice event and keeps accumulating snow from bonding to the pavement surface, allowing to be more easily plowed off the roadway later in the event.

Through the day today and Saturday motorists should be alert for spray trucks and support vehicles out treating area highways. Crews normally treat "C" Snow & Ice Routes (rural secondary highways) first, then progress to "B" (connector highways) followed by "A" routes (U.S. highways-parkways-Interstates).

The current forecast indicates a winter storm beginning early Sunday followed by extremely cold temperatures next week. The forecast indicates up to 4 inches of snow or more across parts of the region. Motorists are urged to monitor area media outlets to keep up to date on changes in the forecast, accumulation amounts, and storm timeline.

Sunday night temperatures are expected to drop to single digits and below, with the high on Monday around 5 degrees.

KYTC crews will work through the day on Sunday in an effort to clear roads before the extreme cold hits Sunday night.

Once the temperatures drop Sunday Night, temperatures are not expected to rise into the 20s until about Wednesday. . The impact of salt and other ice-fighting chemicals is greatly diminished below 18 degrees Fahrenheit. That means highway crews will be limited in their ability to improve driving conditions during this period.

Motorists are advised to be prepared to encounter hazardous driving conditions and extreme cold through this period.

Roadway information for Kentucky and links to surrounding states can be found at www.511.ky.gov.